Kevin Magnussen Q&A: Mexico City Grand Prix
October 27, 2022
Kevin looks ahead to this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, a race where his best finish came in 2017, finishing eighth.
Round 20 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship takes the paddock to the heady heights of Mexico City. It’s another country steeped in motorsport history, what are your memories from the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez?
“The Mexico City Grand Prix is always a fantastic event. The fans are super into Formula 1, it’s unique with the stadium section and I’m looking forward to going back and experiencing it all over again.”
The track is 2km above sea level, which puts obvious stresses on cars. Racing in these conditions in news cars, and heading towards the latter stage of the season, are you expecting a competitive race with reliability playing a key role in the outcome?
“It’s a challenge – both physically and technically with the car – cooling is an issue. You don’t have as much downforce, you run a lot of wing on the car and it’s very low density in the air, so you actually have about the same amount of downforce as you have in Monza. That’s why we’ve seen some of the highest top speeds from Formula 1 cars there. It’s tough physically and in the past, I’ve had symptoms from being so high up.”
A highlight of racing at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez is the Foro Sol grandstand – where cars make their way through the stadium. What is it like to drive through that unique corner in Formula 1 and can you hear the cheers from inside the cockpit?
“The Foro Sol is what makes the event unique. You drive into the stadium section, and you can really feel the atmosphere from the fans, especially on the drivers parade. It’s great when you get there, it’s a big buzz.”